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Hey folks, are you in Southern California? The 16th Annual So Cal BME/IAM BBQ is taking place on Saturday, August 6th, 2016, hosted by our friends David and Tiffany. Check out their Facebook event page for more information!

Part of the early success of BME certainly came from the sense of community that came out of BME BBQs where people could connect in person and put faces to online handles. The longest running event is the SOCAL BBQ, which will celebrate it’s 13th anniversary this coming weekend in San Diego, CA. I’m sad that I won’t be able to attend, but we’re hoping to get lots of great pictures from our friends that do.

If you’re in Southern California, or willing to travel for a really fun laid back event… here’s the Facebook RSVP:

Hey folks;
Jen has been kind enough to post on our behalf about the upcoming STAY CALM: Celebrating the life of Shannon Larratt memorial here in Philadelphia, but since I’m going to be posting on ModBlog when the whim strikes (mostly history content. There’s no school like the Old School) I figured now would be as good a time as any to post my first post and what better subject than the event that’s coming up soon!

Here’s the basic rundown:
The Philadelphia area IAM community- known for the last 13 years as ‘the Weirdos’- were always one of the most active IAM groups and when our friend passed away, we decided to throw a small get together to say our respects and our goodbyes. We figured that we’d get around thirty of our old friends, kick back at a bar and tell some stories and raise our glasses.

It’s sort of grown beyond thirty people; to date there are slightly over 200 folks making the trek to Philly by car, bus and plane. The Stay Calm planners have arranged a full day of fun- a family friendly park visit on the morning of 27th April leading into a wild night at Philadelphia’s only Leather Bar (which is owned by IAM members) that’ll feature raffles, drinks (both virgin and alcoholic) and a whole lot of fun.

Once we saw how many people were coming, I reached out to our amazing friends and asked for goodies that we could raffle off- with 100% of the profits going directly to Ari Larratt. They responded generously.

If you’ve never been to a BMEfest, Bowling with Weirdos, East Coast BBQ- the events that helped shaped the IAM community- we’d love it if you could make it out and see what all the fuss is about. If you haven’t been to one in years… now’s the best time to come back home.

This is an update about the Stay Calm event posted below. Can’t be there in person? Read on.

What I’d like for you folks who can’t make it to do, if you still want to be here in spirit… is to record a short video talking about your connection to Shannon and the IAM/BME Community. How it’s affected your life. Met a spouse? Had a baby? Traveled to Mexico for BMEFest and used a swimming pool as a gravity bong?

Tell your story!

Then either upload it to YOUTUBE (tagged staycalmbme) or get a dropbox.com account and link me. We’re going edit them together and put them online; shared here on SCPhilly as well as BME. There are some great stories out there; sweet, funny, raunchy… let’s not let them be forgotten.

Oh. Did you guys like the STAY CALM Hand Screened print that Johnny Thief designed for us? Well get this! If you submit a video to the THANK YOU SHANNON! Project- your name goes into a drawing to have one sent to you on us! They’re available exclusively to attendees of the memorial, so you’ll be the coolest kid on your block!

Once you’ve got it online, email staycalmbme@gmail.com with the youtube or dropbox link and you’ll be set.

OH! This is really important. All submitted videos must be shot “properly”.

Videos should be under five minutes, 720dpi or higher if possible, m4v or mov format.

We here at BME would really love it if you submitted the videos to BME as well. Please do share your memories of Shannon, whether they be photos, a video or if you want to write up a story or memorial, or anything really, about him. You can submit content via your BME account or by sending it to submissions@bme.com. If you run into any problems at all please email BME support for help.

On April 27th, in Philadelphia, there will be a gathering to celebrate Shannon’s life and the friendships he helped to foster. To read more about the event, please visit this blog. Below is an excerpt from the site about the event:

The weekend will have something for everyone, reminiscent of BME BBQs of the past. There’ll be time at the park, private suspensions, a party/fundraiser at a bar and the eventual hotel shenanigans that IAM events made famous.

We’ve worked out a special group rate at the LOWES Philadelphia (update: SOLD OUT! We’re working on a second block at another local hotel so please stay in touch if you’re in need of accommodations) and are working on other perks. Checking back here or the Facebook event listing will be your best way to keep up with the latest news.

If you know of any other gatherings taking place please feel free to post about them in the comments below.

We just wanted to say thank you, again, for the love and support the community has shown all of us here at BME. If you’re going to an event please do take pictures and share them with BME, we would love to see them, especially those of us who live too far away to attend anything.

Ah, the fun the little girl is having, sitting on her little platform floating in the air held up by ropes attached to flesh hooks. What a world she’s growing up in. And the amazing thing is, with this being the 12th annual South California BBQ (which just took place on August 4th), these BBQs have being held significantly longer than she has existed!!! Whenever you’re feeling down about not being accepted or feeling like an outsider, remember this little girl and all those growing up in her generation. All we have to do is wait long enough, and the majority of the population won’t be able to imagine a world where body rituals and body modification aren’t the norm.

But seriously, my hat’s off with congratulations to the BME family down in So Cal that’s pulled together for a dozen years to make these little family reunions, sometimes with new relatives, sometimes old, some coming every year, some coming only one… but all family. It makes me very happy that this sort of grass roots enthusiasm is still adding their blood to parks around the world.

Why do I have a funny feeling REM’s “It’s End of the World” is going to be played over and over again next year? Alright, it’s just about that time, the BME New Year’s Eve party is just a few days away!

Now, the BME NYE Party, if it’s anything close to what it was like last year, will definitely be a blast. We’ll have fireworks, food and drinks, and some of the most awesome people around. Suspensions are going to be facilitated by Cere, as well as other qualified facilitators, so if you want to start the new year off by hanging from hooks, you can do it! Now food and drinks will be provided, but just the bare minimum (burgers, hot dogs, soda, snacks etc) so feel free to bring along anything else you want. There’s lots of room for tents on the property, and quite a few hotels just down the road near King’s Dominion (Just outside of Richmond, VA).

I’m off to pack up my bags. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you there!

A week or so ago, the head of AGRO Suspension Group, Rick Pierceall, was involved in a minor mishap that broke his finger. In response to this tragic event, the suspension community got together to wish him a speedy recovery. Here’s the result.

I also did some digging and found this scarification piece by AGRO member Kcir. Kcir sent this photo in a few months back, and it shows you just how dedicated the AGRO team members are to what they do.

AGRO’s annual Superpull is coming up in just over a month. If you’re in the Houston area and would like to be a part of this one-of-a-kind experience, head on over to AGRO’s website for more details.

On behalf of the entire BME Team, I want to wish each and every one of you Happy Holidays. Whether you’re celebrating with friends and family, or taking some time for yourself, enjoy the weekend and be safe in your travels. We’ll be back next week with more ModBlog and some year end surprises. While the leaderboards are still being worked on, you still have time to send in your images, videos, and experiences. The top contributors in each category are going to be getting some fantastic prizes. We’re also one week away from the BME NYE Party! Head on over to the event page to RSVP! I’ll be there, will you?

Don’t forget that there are also a couple of year end sales happening until midnight on New Year’s Eve. The entire store is 20% off using the coupon code holiday20off and Diablo Organics Jewelry is 40% off with the code 40offdiablo. On top of all that, the 5000th order shipped out will receive a $100 gift certificate to the BMEShop. The prize hasn’t been awarded yet, but we’re getting awfully close, so get those orders in.

Finally, to wrap things up, we have a special holiday message from Jacobsmuse-1.

The year is almost over and the BMEshop is going to have its final sale of the year. So from now until midnight on New Year’s Eve the code holiday20off will get you 20% off your entire purchase. But that’s not all!

Rachel was sending out some orders yesterday and discovered that the BMEShop is close to sending out its 5000th shipment. So here’s the contest: If your order shipping number is #5000, then you’ll win a $100 gift certificate for the shop. Keep in mind that this only applies to orders being shipped out. The system tracks individual orders coming in, as well as going out, and we’re only looking at the shipping number. This means you can’t just make order after order to bump up your order number before actually making a purchase, we’re only counting completed orders.

So with the 20% off discount, and the chance to win $100 gift certificate, now is the perfect time to do some shopping for yourself.

Also, don’t forget about the BME New Year’s Eve Party!!! Head on over to the event page and sign up so we know how much food to pick up!